l,y  of  Californi, 
>rn  Regional 
ff  Facility 


THE 

War  on  Hospital  Ships 

WITH   NARRATIVES  OF  EYE-WITNESSES 

AND 

BRITISH   AND    GERMAN    DIPLOMATIC 
CORRESPONDENCE 


SECOND  AND  REVISED  EDITION 


HARPER   &   BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

NEW   YORK   AND   LONDON 
1918 


THE 

WAR  ON  HOSPITAL  SHIPS 


i 


WITH  NARRATIVES  OF  EYE-WITNESSES 

AND 

BRITISH    AND    GERMAN    DIPLOMATIC 
CORRESPONDENCE 


SECOND     AND    REVISED    EDITION 


HARPER  &  BROTHERS  PUBLISHERS 

NEW    YORK   AND    LONDON 
1918 


PAMPHLETS   ON   THE  WAR 
PUBLISHED   BY   HARPER  &   BROTHERS 

THE   PIRATE'S   PROGRESS.     By  William  Archer 

GERMAN    WAR   AIMS.     By  Edwin  Bevan 

BLOOD   AND   TREASURE 

A     BRITISH     CARDINAL'S     VISIT     TO     THE 
\\  ESTERN   FRONT 

THEIR   CRIMES 

GENERAL   VON    BISSING'S  TESTAMENT 

THE  MURDER  OF  A  NATION.     By  A.  J.  Toynbee 
Witli  a  Speech  and  Letter  by  Lord   Bryce 

LINGUISTIC  OPPRESSION      IN  THE   GERMAN 
EMPIRE.     By  Ernest  Barker 


HARPER   &    BROTHERS,  NEW    YORK 

lEbTABLISHED    1817] 


PREFACE  TO  THE   SECOND   EDITION 

SINCE  the  first  edition  of  this  narrative  of  "The 
War  on  Hospital  Ships"  was  issued,  the  disre- 
gard of  conventions  and  explicit  promises,  the  delib- 
erate murder  of  wounded  patients  and  the  nurses 
and  doctors  engaged  in  the  humane  task  of  minis- 
tering to  the  broken  men  of  all  belligerent  armies, 
have  increased  in  range  and  violence. 

A  summary  of  the  war  on  hospital  ships  since  May, 
191 7,  with  brief  narratives  from  survivors,  will  be 
found  in  an  added  chapter,  'The  Second  Year." 
That  story  has  been  compiled  from  the  accurate 
and  authenticated  narratives  of  eye-witnesses.  This 
brings  the  black  list  up  to  March  10th,  1918,  and  it 
unfolds  a  record  of  ruthlessness  which  has  revolted 
the  world. 

A  further  chapter,  "Diplomatic  Correspondence," 
contains  the  Memoranda  from  the  German  Govern- 
ment alleging  the  misuse  of  hospital  ships  by  Great 
Britain  and  the  reply  of  the  British  Government 
thereto. 


6  PREFACE 

If  the  laws  of  humanity  are  not  to  be  cancelled 
and  our  civilisation  to  fall  back  to  the  conditions  of 
the  jungle,  the  only  attitude  that  can  be  adopted 
and  acted  upon  in  relation  to  the  authors  of  the 
outrages  is  that  taken  up  by  the  International  Red 
Cross  Committee,  and  expressed  in  its  Note  ad- 
dressed to  the  German  Government  (see  page  28). 


THE  WAR  ON  HOSPITAL  SHIPS 


L— THE   FIRST  YEAR 

The  "Portugal" 

ON  March  17th,  1916,  the  Russian  hospital  ship 
' '  Portugal  "*  was  lying  off  Rizeh,  on  the  Turk- 
ish coast  of  the  Black  Sea.  She  was  on  her  way 
from  Batoum  to  Off  with  a  string  of  flat-bottomed 
boats  in  tow,  destined  for  the  conveyance  of  wounded 
from  the  shore  to  the  ship.  One  of  these  boats  had 
become  water-logged,  and  was  being  pumped  clear 
while  the  "Portugal"  lay  to.  The  "Portugal"  car- 
ried no  wounded  at  the  moment,  but  the  Red  Cross 
Staff  was  on  board  and  the  full  crew.  The  weather 
was  clear. 

Suddenly  the  look-out  man  saw  a  periscope  ap- 
proaching the  vessel,  but  the  ship's  officers  explained 
to  all  hands  that  they  were  immune  from  attack. 
When  the  "Portugal"  had  first  been  commissioned 
for  Red  Cross  work — she  belonged  to  the  Messageries 
Maritimes,   and  still   kept  her  French  officers  and 

*  See  the  report  of  the  Russian  Special  Commission  of  Inquiry, 
under  the  presidency  of  Senator  Alexis  Krivtsov. 


8      THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

crew — the  Russian  Government  had  notified  the 
Turkish  and  Bulgarian  Governments  of  the  fact, 
and  had  obtained  from  them  a  recognition  of  her 
status.  In  the  clear  weather  her  distinguishing 
marks  could  not  be  unobserved.  The  only  thing 
necessary,  the  captain  and  the  mate  explained,  was 
to  keep  calm,  and  to  take  no  precautionary  measures 
which  might  arouse  the  submarine  commander's  sus- 
picion. 

The  submarine  approached  the  "Portugal"  quiet- 
ly and  discharged  a  torpedo,  which  missed  its  aim. 
Then  it  circled  round  and  discharged  a  second  at 
the  other  side  of  the  vessel,  from  some  30  or  40  feet 
away.  This  second  torpedo  struck  the  "Portugal" 
amidships,  in  the  engine-room.  There  was  a  violent 
explosion;  the  hull  broke  in  two,  and  most  of  those 
on  board  were  precipitated  into  the  whirlpool  be- 
tween the  two  halves;  with  a  still  more  violent  ex- 
plosion the  boilers  blew  up,  and  the  bow  and  stern 
fragments  of  the  "Portugal"  went  down  simul- 
taneously. 

Forty -five  of  the  Red  Cross  staff  were  lost,  twenty- 
one  of  whom  were  nurses ;  twenty-one  men  were  lost 
out  of  the  Russian  crew,  and  nineteen  out  of  the 
French.  Thus  eighty-five  of  those  on  board  perished 
altogether. 

Here  is  an  account  of  the  outrage  by  one  of  the 
survivors — Nikolai  Nikolaevitch  Sabaev,  secretary 
to  the  Russian  Red  Cross  Society's  Third  Ambulance 
Detachment  with  the  Army  of  the  Caucasus: — 


THE    FIRST    YEAR  9 

"At  about  8  o'clock  in  the  morning,  somebody  on  board 
shouted  out,  'submarine  boat.'  At  first,  this  news  did 
not  produce  any  panic;  on  the  contrary,  everybody 
rushed  on  deck  to  be  the  first  to  see  the  submarine.  It 
never  entered  anybody's  head  to  suppose  that  a  submarine 
would  attack  a  hospital  ship,  sailing  under  the  flag  of  the 
Red  Cross.  I  went  on  to  the  upper  deck,  and  noticed  the 
periscope  of  a  submarine,  moving  parallel  with  the  steamer 
at  a  distance  of  about  170  or  200  feet.  Having  reached  a 
point  opposite  to  the  middle  of  the  'Portugal,'  the  peri- 
scope disappeared  for  a  short  time,  then  reappeared,  and 
the  submarine  discharged  a  torpedo.  I  descended  from 
the  upper  deck,  and  ran  to  the  stern,  with  the  intention  of 
jumping  into  the  sea.  When,  however,  I  noticed  that  most 
of  the  people  on  deck  had  life-belts,  I  ran  into  saloon  No. 
5,  seized  a  life-belt,  and  put  it  on,  but  then  I  fell  down,  as 
the  'Portugal'  was  sinking  at  the  place  where  she  was 
broken  in  two,  while  her  stem  and  stern  were  going  up 
higher  all  the  time.  All  round  me  unfortunate  sisters  of 
mercy  were  screaming  for  help.  They  fell  down,  like  my- 
self, and  some  of  them  fainted.  The  deck  became  more 
down-sloping  every  minute,  and  I  rolled  off  into  the  water 
between  the  two  halves  of  the  sinking  steamer.  I  was 
drawn  down  deep  into  the  whirlpool,  and  began  to  be 
whirled  round  and  thrown  about  in  every  direction. 
While  under  the  water,  I  heard  a  dull,  rumbling  noise, 
which  was  evidently  the  bursting  of  the  boilers,  for  it 
threw  me  out  of  the  vortex  about  a  sazhen,  or  7  feet,  away 
from  the  engulfment  of  the  wreck.  The  stem  and  stern  of 
the  steamer  had  gone  up  until  they  were  almost  at  right 
angles  with  the  water,  and  the  divided  steamer  was  set- 
tling down.  At  this  moment  I  was  again  sucked  under, 
but  I  exerted  myself  afresh,  and  once  more  rose  to  the  sur- 
face. I  then  saw  both  portions  of  the  '  Portugal '  go  down 
rapidly,  and  disappear  beneath  the  flood.  A  terrible  com- 
motion of  the  water  ensued,  and  I  was  dragged  under,  to- 
gether with  the  'Portugal.'  I  felt  that  I  was  going  down 
deep,  and  for  the  first  time  I  realized  that  I  was  drowning. 


io   THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

.  .  .  My  strength  failed  me,  but  I  kept  my  mouth  firmly 
shut,  and  tried  not  to  take  in  the  water.  I  knew  that  the 
moment  of  death  from  heart  failure  was  near.  It  so  hap- 
pened, however,  that  the  disturbance  of  the  water  some- 
what abated,  and  I  succeeded  in  swimming  up  again.  I 
glanced  round.  The  'Portugal'  was  no  more.  Nothing 
but  broken  pieces  of  wreck,  boxes  which  had  contained 
our  medicaments,  materials  for  dressing  wounds,  and  pro- 
visions were  floating  about.  Everywhere  I  could  see  the 
heads  and  arms  of  people  battling  with  the  waves,  and 
their  shrieks  for  help  were  frightful.  ...  8  or  9  sazhens 
(56  or  63  feet)  away  from  where  I  was,  I  saw  a  life-saving 
raft,  and  I  swam  towards  it.  Although  my  soddened 
clothes  greatly  impeded  my  movements,  I  nevertheless 
reached  the  raft,  and  was  taken  on  to  it.  About  20  per- 
sons were  on  it  already,  exclusively  men.  Amongst  them 
was  the  French  mate,  who  assisted  the  captain  of  the 
'  Portugal,'  and  he  and  I  at  once  set  about  making  a  rudder 
out  of  two  of  the  oars  which  were  on  the  raft,  and  we 
placed  an  oarsman  on  each  side  of  it.  We  had  been  going 
about  8  minutes  when  we  saw  the  body  of  a  woman  float- 
ing motionless,  and  dressed  in  the  garb  of  a  sister  of  mercy. 
.  .  .  We  then  raised  her  on  to  the  raft.  She  was  uncon- 
scious, quite  blue,  and  with  only  feeble  signs  of  life.  .  .  . 
She  at  last  opened  her  eyes  and  enquired  where  she  was. 
I  told  her  that  she  was  saved.  Soon,  however,  she  turned 
pale,  said  she  was  dying,  and  gave  me  the  address  of  her 
relatives,  to  inform  them  of  her  death.  She  began  to  spit 
blood,  and  was  delirious,  but  gradually  a  better  feeling 
returned,  and  she  was  soon  out  of  danger.  We  went  on 
rowing  towards  the  shore  for  a  considerable  time.  .  .  . 
At  last  a  launch,  towing  a  boat  full  of  the  rescued,  took 
us  also  in  tow,  and  we  reached  the  shore  in  safety.  The 
hospital  ship  'Portugal'  was  painted  white,  with  a  red 
border  all  around.  The  funnels  were  white  with  red 
crosses,  and  a  Red  Cross  flag  was  on  the  mast.  These 
distinguishing  signs  were  plainly  visible  and  there  can 
be  no  doubt  whatever  that  they  could  be  perfectly  well 


THE    FIRST    YEAR  u 

seen  by  the  men  in  the  submarine.  The  conduct  of  the 
submarine  itself  proves  that  the  men  in  it  knew  that 
they  had  to  do  with  a  hospital  ship.  The  fact  of  the  sub- 
marine having  moved  so  slowly  shows  that  the  enemy  was 
conscious  of  being  quite  out  of  danger." 


The  "V 'period.1 

In  the  beginning  of  1916  the  "Vperiod,"  a  vessel 
of  858  tons,  was  transformed  into  a  hospital  ship, 
with  120  beds  for  wounded,  to  take  the  place  of 
the  "Portugal."  On  July  8th,  1916,  while  on  her 
way  from  Batoum  to  Rizeh,  near  Trebizond,  to  fetch 
wounded,  she  was  torpedoed  without  warning  and 
sank,  with  a  loss  of  7  lives.  The  "Vperiod"  bore  all 
the  usual  Red  Cross  marks ;  and  the  enemy  Govern- 
ments had  been  duly  informed  of  the  vessel's  new 
status  when  the  change  was  made  six  months  earlier. 

The  sinkings  of  the  ' '  Portugal ' '  and  the  ' '  Vperiod ' ' 
were  apparently  casual  atrocities,  but  when  the  Ger- 
man Government  embarked  on  the  policy  of  un- 
restricted submarine  warfare  in  January,  191 7,  they 
determined  to  sink  hospital  ships  systematically  in 
their  "blockaded  zone."  It  was  quite  a  logical 
decision,  for  the  object  of  the  submarine  campaign 
is  to  reduce,  by  every  means,  the  total  tonnage  of  the 
world.  If  the  world  will  not  accept  Germany's 
conditions,  Germany  will  make  the  civilised  order  of 
the  world  impossible.  That  is  Germany's  challenge, 
and  every  hospital  ship  sunk  brings  her  a  step  further 
towards  making  it  good,  for  the  hospital  ship  that 


12    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

has  been  destroyed  must  be  replaced  by  another 
ship,  which  might  otherwise  have  carried  timtar  or 
grain. 

Only,  it  is  not  Germany's  way  to  confess  her  mo- 
tives, transparent  though  they  generally  are,  and  her 
purpose  to  sink  hospital  ships  was  therefore  an- 
nounced to  the  world  in  the  following  terms: — 

i 

"The  German  Government  can  no  longer  suffer  that  the 
British  Government  should  forward  troops  and  munitions 
to  the  main  theatre  of  war  under  cover  of  the  Red  Cross, 
and  it  therefore  declares  that  from  now  on  no  enemy  hos- 
pital ship  will  be  allowed  in  the  sea  zone  comprised  between 
a  line  drawn  from  Flamborough  Head  to  Terschelling  on 
the  one  hand  and  Ushant  and  Land's  End  on  the  other. 
If  in  this  sea  zone  after  the  expiry  of  the  stated  time  any 
enemy  hospital  ship  is  encountered,  it  will  be  considered 
as  #  vessel  of  war,  and  it  will  be  attacked  without  further 


ceremonv." 


The  "Britannic'''' 

Already  in  1916  the  German  Press  had  seized  oc- 
casions for  spreading  this  slander.  When,  for  ex- 
ample, the  British  hospital  ship  "Britannic"  was 
sunk  in  the  ^gean  with  1,100  wounded  on  board, 
and  about  fifty  lives  were  lost,  it  was  at  first  con-, 
sidered  doubtful  whether  the  cause  was  a  torpedo 
or  a  mine.  But  an  inspired  statement  at  once  ap- 
peared in  the  German  Kicler  Zeitung  to  the  effect 
that  the  "Britannic"  had  been  torpedoed. 

'The  Britannic,"   the  statement  declared,   "was 
transporting  fresh  troops  for  our  enemies.     If  she 


THEFIRSTYEAR  13 

had  not  been  doing  so,  our  submarines  would  never, 
of  course,  have  torpedoed  her." 

This  statement  was  answered  by  an  announce- 
ment from  the  British  Admiralty  on  December  3rd, 
1916: — 

"German  wireless  messages  to  the  Embassy,  Washing- 
ton, are  again  promulgating  mendacious  reports,  purport- 
ing to  come  from  Rotterdam,  that  the  hospital  ship 
'Britannic,'  recently  sunk,  had  troops  on  board. 

"A  complete  statement  of  all  persons  carried  on  board 
that  ship  was  published  on  November  14th. 

"As  has  been  officially  stated  on  several  previous 
occasions,  British  hospital  ships  are  employed  solely  in 
the  conditions  set  forth  in  the  Geneva  and  Hague  Con- 
ventions, and  they  carry  neither  personnel  nor  material 
other  than  that  authorised  by  those  Conventions." 

The  threat  against  hospital  ships  contained  in  the 
subsequent  declaration  of  unrestricted  submarine 
war  was  answered  by  the  British  Foreign  Office  on 
January  31st,  191 7: — 

"The  German  Government  announce  that  they  have 
conclusive  proof  that  in  several  instances  enemy  hospital 
ships  have  often  been  misused  for  the  transport  of  muni- 
tions and  troops.  They  also  state  that  they  have  placed 
these  proofs  through  diplomatic  channels  before  the  British 
and  French  Governments,  and  have  at  the  same  time 
declared  that  the  traffic  of  hospital  ships  on  the  military 
routes  for  the  forces  fighting  in  France  and  Belgium  within 
a  line  drawn  between  Flamborough  Head  and  Terschelling 
on  the  one  hand,  and  from  Ushant  to  Land's  End  on  the 
other,  will  no  longer  be  tolerated. 

"His  Majesty's  Government  have  received  no  such 
communication,   through  diplomatic  channels  or  other- 


i4    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

wise,  from  the  German  Government  as  is  alleged,  and  they 
most  emphatically  deny  that  British  hospital  ships  have 
been  used  for  the  transport  of  munitions  and  troops,  or 
in  any  way  contrary  to  the  Hague  Convention  for  the 
adaptation  on  the  principles  of  the  Geneva  Convention 
to  maritime  war. 

"Under  the  Convention  belligerents  have  the  right  to 
search  hospital  ships,  and  the  German  Government  have 
therefore  an  obvious  remedy  in  case  of  suspicion,  a  remedy 
which  they  have  never  utilised. 

"From  the  German  Government's  statement  that  hos- 
pital ships  will  no  longer  be  tolerated  within  the  limits 
mentioned  only  one  conclusion  can  be  drawn,  namely,  that 
it  is  the  intention  of  the  German  Government  to  add  yet 
another  and  more  unspeakable  crime  against  law  and 
humanity  to  the  long  list  which  disgraces  their  record. 

"In  these  circumstances,  His  Majesty's  Government 
have  requested  the  United  States  Government  to  inform 
the  German  Government  that  His  Majesty's  Government 
have  decided  that  if  the  threat  is  carried  out  reprisals 
will  immediately  be  taken  by  the  British  authorities 
concerned." 

Since  then  Germany  has  proceeded  from  threats 
to  deeds. 

The  "  Asturias." 

The  hospital  ship  "Asturias,"  which  had  been  at- 
tacked unsuccessfully  by  a  German  submarine  as 
early  as  Feb.  ist,  191 5,  was  torpedoed  and  sunk  on 
the  night  of  March  2oth-2ist,  191 7,  with  all  her  crew 
and  staff  on  board.  The  outrage  was  announced 
by  the  British  Admiralty  a  wreek  later: — 

"The  British  hospital  ship  'Asturias,'  whilst  steaming 
with  all  navigation  lights  and  with  all  the  proper  distin- 


THE    FIRST    YEAR  15 

guishing  Red  Cross  signs  brilliantly  illuminated,  was  tor- 
pedoed without  warning  on  the  night  March  20-21. 
"The  following  casualties  occurred: — 

Medical  Services: —  Crew: — 
Dead  11.  Dead  20 

Missing,  3   (including.  Missing,   9    (including   1 

1  female  staff  nurse.  stewardess) . 

Injured,   17.  Injured,   22. 

"The  torpedoing  of  this  hospital  ship  is  included  in  the 
list  of  achievements  claimed  by  U-boats  as  reported  in 
the  Geiman  Wireless  Press  message  yesterday." 


The  "Gloucester  Castle"  and  the  "Saita" 

This  announcement  was  followed  by  another  on 
April  14th,  making  public  the  sinking  of  the  hospital 
ships  ' '  Gloucester  Castle ' '  and  ' '  Saita ' ' : — 

"The  British  hospital  ship  'Gloucester  Castle'  was  tor- 
pedoed without  warning  in  mid-Channel  during  the  night 
of  the  3oth~3ist  March.  All  the  wounded  were  success- 
fully removed  from  the  ship. 

"The  Berlin  Official  Wireless  of  April  11  proclaims  the 
fact  that  she  was  torpedoed  by  a  U-boat,  thus  removing 
any  possible  doubt  in  the  matter. 

"On  the  10th  instant  the  British  hospital  ship  'Saita' 
struck  a  mine  in  the  Channel  during  very  bad  weather  and 
sank.  There  were  no  wounded  on  board,  but  it  is  re- 
gretted that  the  following  casualties  occurred: — 

R  A  M  C  (  Medical    Officers .  .  .  .  . .       5 

r^'     '  ,■'        ,{  Nursing    Sisters  .  .  .  .  .  .       o 

ComplunentU.A.MC.  Personnel       ..         ...38 

all  of  whom  are  missing  and  presumed  drowned. 
"All  the  next-of-kin  have  been  informed." 


16    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

The  "Donegal"  and  the  " Lanfranc." 

Then,  on  April  17th,  the  "Donegal"  and  "Lan- 
franc" were  sunk,  and  in  a  longer  statement  the 
Admiralty  announced  the  news  and  summed  up  the 
situation : — 

"On  the  evening  of  April  17  the  ss.  'Donegal'  and 
'Lanfranc,'  while  transporting  wounded  to  British  ports, 
were  torpedoed  without  warning. 

"Owing  to  the  German  practice  of  sinking  hospital 
ships  at  sight,  and  to  the  fact  that  distinctive  marking  and 
lighting  of  such  vessels  render  them  more  conspicuous 
targets  for  German  submarines,  it  has  become  no  longer 
possible  to  distinguish  our  hospital  ships  in  the  customary 
manner.  One  of  these  two  ships,  therefore,  though  carry- 
ing wounded,  was  not  in  any  way  outwardly  distinguished 
as  a  hospital  ship.  Both  were  provided  with  an  escort 
for  protection. 

"The  'Donegal'  carried  slightly  wounded  cases,  all 
British.  Of  these,  twenty-nine  men,  as  well  as  twelve  of 
the  crew,  are  missing  and  presumed  drowned. 

"The  'Lanfranc,'  in  addition  to  234  wounded  British 
officers  and  men,  carried  167  wounded  German  prisoners, 
a  medical  personnel  of  52  and  a  crew  of  123. 

"Of  these  the  following  are  missing  and  presumed 
drowned : — 

2  wounded  British  officers. 

1 1  wounded  British  other  ranks. 

1  R.A.M.C.  staff. 

2  wounded  German  officers. 

13  wounded  German  other  ranks. 

"152  wounded  German  prisoners  were  rescued  by  Brit- 
ish patrol  vessels  at  the  imminent  risk  of  being  themselves 
torpedoed. 


THE    FIRST    YEAR  17 

"The  next-of-kin  are  being  informed  in  all  cases  of  loss 
of  life. 

"The  illegal  and  inhuman  submarine  warfare  which 
Germany  has  waged  upon  merchant  shipping  has  for  some 
time  been  openly  adopted  against  hospital  ships  flying  the 
Red  Cross  flag  and  otherwise  acting  in  complete  con- 
formity with  the  requirements  of  the  Hague  Convention. 
This  culmination  of  savagery  has  brought  the  world  face 
to  face  with  a  situation  that  is  without  parallel  in  civilised 
warfare.  It  has  no  justification  in  any  conceivable  dis- 
tortion of  international  law,  nor  in  the  most  brutal  creed 
of  necessity.  The  British  Government,  in  considering 
fully  the  measures  to  be  adopted  in  these  circumstances, 
has  had  in  review  the  entire  facts  on  which  the  German 
Government  claims  to  have  acted.  These  may  be  re- 
capitulated in  brief  for  the  consideration  of  the  civilised 
world. 

"On  Jan.  29,  19 17,  the  German  Government  addressed 
a  memorial  to  the  American  and  Spanish  Embassies  for 
transmission  to  the  British  and  French  Governments.  In 
this  it  was  stated  that  the  hospital  ships  of  the  Allies,  and 
of  Britain  in  particular,  were  employed  for  the  purpose  of 
transporting  troops  and  military  supplies.  The  evidence 
of  a  number  of  witnesses,  the  majority  of  whom  were 
anonymous  and  the  remainder  German,  was  cited  in  sup- 
port of  this  outrageous  statement.  The  German  Govern- 
ment, in  conclusion,  declared  that  no  hospital  ship  would 
be  '  tolerated '  in  the  tract  of  sea  lying  between  lines  con- 
necting Flamborough  Head  and  Terschelling  on  the  one 
side,  and  Ushant  and  Land's  End  on  the  other. 

"The  substance  of  this  memorial  was  embodied  in  an 
official  German  wireless  message,  and  on  the  evening  of 
Jan.  31  the  British  Foreign  Office  issued  a  statement  to 
the  effect  that,  although  no  communication  had  been  re- 
ceived through  the  customary  channels  alleging  the  mis- 
use of  British  hospital  ships,  they  most  emphatically 
denied  that  such  ships  had  been  used  in  any  way  contrary 
to  the  Hague  Convention.     It  was  pointed  out  that  under 


is    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

this  Convention  Germany  had  an  obvious  remedy  in  cases 
of  suspicion — the  right  to  visit  and  to  search  any  hospital 
ships  encountered  on  the  high  seas.  From  the  refusal  of 
the  German  Government  to  tolerate  the  hospital  ships 
within  certain  limits  only  one  conclusion  could  be  drawn, 
'namely,  that  it  is  the  intention  of  the  German  Govern- 
ment to  add  yet  other  and  more  unspeakable  crimes  to 
the  long  list  that  disgraces  their  record.'  The  Govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  was  requested  to  inform  the 
German  Government  that  if  the  threat  were  carried  out 
immediate  reprisals  would  follow. 

"The  course  dictated  by  humanity  and  common-sense 
was  plain,  and  needed  no  reminder  such  as  was  given 
by  the  British  Government.  Yet,  in  spite  of  their  em- 
phatic denials  of  the  German  falsehoods  and  the  subse- 
quent warning  conveyed,  the  British  hospital  ship  'As- 
turias'  was  torpedoed  without  warning  on  the  night  of 
March  20.  The  ship  was  steaming  with  all  navigation 
lights  burning  and  the  proper  Red  Cross  sign  brilliantly 
illuminated.  The  cumulative  evidence  that  she  had  been 
torpedoed  and  not  mined  was  only  accepted  after  it  had 
been  confirmed  beyond  all  doubt  and  after  exhaustive 
investigation.  The  loss  of  life  on  this  occasion  included 
a  nursing  sister  and  a  stewardess,  a  fact  which  might 
have  brought  home  to  any  enemy  but  Germany  some 
sense  of  the  enormity  of  the  outrage 

"But  the  nation  responsible  for  the  murder  of  Nurse 
Cavell  appears  to  have  accepted  the  intelligence  with 
composure,  if  not  with  satisfaction.  The  German  official 
wireless  message  of  the  26th  finally  established  the  guilt 
of  the  German  Government,  who,  having  boasted  of  the 
deed,  published  on  the  29th  a  further  message  which  said: 
'  It  would,  moreover,  be  remarkable  that  the  English  in 
the  case  of  the  "Asturias"  should  have  abstained  from 
their  customary  procedure  of  using  hospital  ships  for  the 
transport  of  troops  and  munitions.' 

"On  the  night  of  March  30-31  the  hospital  ship  'Glou- 
cester Castle'  met  with  a  similar  fate.     On  this  occasion 


THE    FIRST   YEAR  19 

the  Berlin  official  wireless  message  again  cynically  pub- 
lished a  notification  that  she  was  torpedoed  by  a  U-boat, 
thus  removing  any  possible  doubt  in  the  matter. 

"The  British  Government  thereupon  authorised  prompt 
measures  of  reprisal,  in  accordance  with  the  announce- 
ment already  referred  to,  and  on  April  14  a  large  squadron 
of  British  and  French  aeroplanes  bombarded  the  German 
town  of  Freiburg  with  satisfactory  results. 

"In  spite  of  the  warnings  conveyed  to  Germany  that 
her  barbarous  attacks  on  hospital  ships  would  result  in 
such  action  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  the  German 
Government  published  through  the  wireless  message  of 
April  16  an  abusive  protest,  which  'categorically  contested 
any  justification'  for  this  reprisal.  Nothing  could  afford 
a  better  illustration  of  German  mentality  and  reasoning. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  spirit  in  which  the  Allies  exacted 
retribution  is  shown  by  the  purely  military  character  of 
the  measures  adopted.  The  airmen  who  carried  out  the 
attack  were  exposed  to  and  did,  in  fact,  incur  precisely 
the  same  dangers  from  the  town  defences  as  they  would 
have  been  exposed  to  in  the  course  of  an  ordinary  action. 

"It  was  plain,  however,  that  any  retaliatory  measures 
open  to  a  Government  upholding  the  principles  of  hu- 
manity and  justice  would  not  prove  a  deterrent  to  Ger- 
many in  the  future.  Such  reprisals  could  be  only  punitive 
in  effect,  and  it  was  necessary  to  reconsider  the  entire 
status  of  hospital  ships  in  the  light  of  the  attitude  taken 
by  the  German  Government.  The  markings  agreed  upon 
at  The  Hague  Convention,  which  had  hitherto  guaranteed 
the  immunity  of  hospital  ships  from  attack,  rendered  them 
no  longer  inviolable.  The  custom  of  showing  all  navigat- 
ing lights  and  illuminating  the  distinctive  markings  at 
night,  only  afforded  a  better  target  for  German  sub- 
marines. It  was  therefore  decided  that  sick  and  wounded, 
together  with  medical  personnel  and  supplies,  must  in 
future  be  transported  for  their  own  safety  in  ships  carry- 
ing no  distinctive  markings  and  proceeding  without  lights, 
in  the  same  manner  as  ordinary  mercantile  traffic.     Notice 


20   THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS      s 

has  accordingly  been  given  to  the  German  Government 
that  the  British.  Government  have  withdrawn  certain 
vessels  from  the  list  of  hospital  ships  published  by  them 
in  accordance  with  international  law,  and  they  will  no 
longer  appear  thereon. 

"During  the  recent  fighting  on  the  Western  Front  a 
very  large  number  of  wounded  German  prisoners  have 
fallen  into  our  hands.  These  officers  and  men  have  to 
be  transported  to  England  for  treatment  by  the  same 
means  that  our  own  wounded  are  brought  over,  and  prac- 
tically all  ships  transporting  wounded  are  bound  to  carry 
a  proportion  of  German  wounded.  These  will  naturally 
share  with  British  wounded  equal  risks  from  the  attacks 
of  German  submarines.  Whether  the  policy  of  the  Ger- 
man Government  is  likely  to  be  deflected  from  its  abomin- 
able course  by  the  knowledge  that  it  can  only  be  pursued 
at  the  expense  of  their  own  wounded,  remains  to  be  seen. 

"In  conclusion,  it  may  be  recalled  that  although  Ger- 
many did  not  frame  any  formal  allegation  of  the  misuse 
of  hospital  ships  against  the  Allies  until  the  commence- 
ment of  19 1 7,  the  British  hospital  ship  '  Asturias'  was  fired 
at  and  missed  by  a  German  submarine  on  Feb.  1,  191 5, 
in  broad  daylight,  while  flying  the  Red  Cross  flag.  In  the 
light  of  recent  events  it  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
the  hospital  ships  'Braemar  Castle'  and  'Britannic'  were 
also  torpedoed,  in  Nov.,  19 16,  although  the  evidence  at 
the  time  was  not  considered  conclusive  as  to  whether 
their  losses  were  occasioned  by  mines  or  torpedo." 

The  torpedoing  of  the  "Lanfranc"  is  thus  de- 
scribed by  a  British  officer  on  board  * : — 

"The  'Lanfranc'  was  attacked  by  a  submarine  about 
7.30  on  Tuesday  evening,  just  as  we  had  finished  dinner. 
A  few  of  us  were  strolling  to  and  fro  on  the  deck,  when 

*  Daily  Telegraph,  April  23,  1917 


THE    FIRST   YEAR  21 

there  was  a  crash,  which  shook  the  liner  violently.  This 
was  followed  by  an  explosion,  and  glass  and  splinters  of 
wood  flew  in  all  directions.  I  had  a  narrow  escape  from 
being  pitched  overboard,  and  only  regained  my  feet  with 
difficulty.  In  a  few  minutes  the  engines  had  stopped,  and 
the  '  Lanfranc '  appeared  to  be  sinking  rapidly,  but  to  our 
surprise  she  steadied  herself  and,  after  a  while,  remained 
perfectly  motionless.  We  had  on  board  nearly  200 
prisoners  belonging  to  the  Prussian  Guard  and  about  twice 
as  many  British  wounded,  among  the  latter  being  some 
very  bad  cases.  The  moment  the  torpedo  struck  the 
'Lanfranc'  the  Prussians  made  a  mad  rush  for  the  life- 
boats. One  of  their  officers  came  up  to  a  boat  close  to 
which  I  was  standing.  I  shouted  to  him  to  go  back, 
whereupon  he  stood  and  scowled.  'You  must  save  us,' 
he  begged.  I  told  him  to  wait  his  turn.  Other  Prussians 
showed  their  cowardice  by  dropping  on  their  knees  and 
imploring  pity.  Some  of  them  cried  'Kamerad,'  as  they 
do  on  the  battlefield.     I  allowed  none  of  them  to  pass  me. 

"Meanwhile  the  crew  and  the  staff  had  gone  to  their 
posts.  The  stretcher  cases  were  brought  on  deck  as 
quickly  as  possible,  and  the  first  boats  were  lowered  with- 
out delay.  Help  had  been  summoned,  and  many  vessels 
were  hurrying  to  our  assistance.  In  these  moments,  while 
wounded  Tommies — many  of  them  as  helpless  as  little 
children — lay  in  their  cots  unaided,  the  Prussian  morale 
dropped  to  zero.  Our  cowardly  prisoners  made  another 
crazy  effort  to  get  into  a  lifeboat.  They  managed  to 
crowd  into  one,  but  no  sooner  had  it  been  lowered  than  it 
toppled  over,  The  Prussians  were  thrown  into  the  water, 
and  they  fought  with  each  other  in  order  to  reach  another 
boat  containing  a  number  of  gravely  wounded  British 
soldiers. 

"The  behaviour  of  our  own  lads  I  shall  never  forget. 
Crippled  as  many  of  them  were,  they  tried  to  stand  at 
attention  while  the  more  serious  cases  were  being  looked 
after.  And  those  who  could  lend  a  hand  scurried  below 
to  help  in  saving  friend  or  enemy.     I  have  never  seen  so 


22    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

many  individual  illustrations  of  genuine  chivalry  and  com- 
radeship. One  man  I  saw  had  had  a  leg  severed,  and  his 
head  was  heavily  bandaged.  He  was  lifting  himself  up 
a  staircase  by  the  hands,  and  was  just  as  keen  on  sum- 
moning help  for  Fritz  as  on  saving  himself.  He  whistled 
to  a  mate  to  come  and  aid  a  Prussian  who  was  unable 
to  move,  owing  to  internal  injuries.  Another  Tommy 
limped  painfully  along  with  a  Prussian  officer  on  his  arm 
and  helped  the  latter  to  a  boat.  It  is  impossible  to  give 
adequate  praise  to  the  crew  and  staff.  They  were  all 
heroes.  They  remained  at  their  posts  until  the  last  man 
had  been  taken  off,  and  some  of  them  took  off  articles  of 
their  clothing  and  threw  them  into  the  lifeboats  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  were  in  need  of  warm  covering.  The 
same  spirit  manifested  itself  as  we  moved  away  from  the 
scene  of  the  outrage.  I  saw  a  sergeant  take  his  tunic  off 
and  make  a  pillow  of  it  for  a  wounded  German.  There 
was  a  private  who  had  his  arms  round  an  enemy  trying 
hard  to  make  the  best  of  an  uncomfortable  resting-place. 
' '  In  the  midst  of  all  this  tragedy  the  element  of  comedy 
was  not  wanting.  A  cockney  lad  struck  up  a  ditty,  and 
the  boat's  company  joined  in  the  chorus  of  'All  dressed  up 
and  nowhere  to  go.'  Then  we  had  'Take  me  back  to 
Blighty,'  and  as  a  French  vessel  came  along  to  our  rescue 
the  boys  sang  '  Pack  up  your  troubles  in  your  old  kit-bag.' 
The  French  displayed  unforgettable  hospitality.  As  soon 
as  they  took  our  wounded  on  board  they  improvised  beds 
and  stripped  themselves  almost  bare  so  that  English  and 
German  alike  might  be  comfortable.  Hot  refreshments 
were  provided  and  cigarettes  distributed,  and  as  the  ship 
headed  for  an  English  port  our  fellows,  with  great  gusto, 
joined  in  the  chorus  of  '  When  we've  wound  up  the  Watch 
on  the  Rhine.'" 

But  it  was  all  tragedy  for  those  whose  duty  it  was 
to  receive  the  survivors  on  shore,  and  the  following 


THE    FIRST    YEAR  23 

account   shows   the   extremity   of  human   suffering 
which  Germany's  calculated  policy  entails  * : — 

"One-thirty  o'clock  on  a  belated  winter's  morning. 
Colder  and  more  wretched  than  it  had  been  at  midnight. 
The  waters  of  the  harbour  were  being  whipped  to  frenzy 
in  the  darkness  by  a  viciously  driving  sleety  rain.  A  good 
time  enough  for  those  in  warm  beds,  but  no  sort  of  a  night 
for  seafaring,  or  for  lying  out  on  the  plains  of  Picardy,  say, 
trying  to  get  shelter  out  of  a  water-logged,  shrap-sprayed 
shell  crater.  Suddenly  the  line  of  watchers  at  the  quay 
head,  their  coats  all  gleaming,  jumped  into  life  and  anima- 
tion, for  from  around  the  end  of  the  long  jetty  appeared 
a  mast-head  light.  'Here  they  are,  at  last!  How  cold 
and  wet  they'll  be.' 

"A  second  light  followed  the  first,  and,  handled  as 
though  they  were  rubber-tyred  perambulators  on  a  foot- 
path, two  of  His  Majesty's  destroyers  were  laid  gently 
alongside  the  stage,  their  sides  just  kissing  the  great  rope 
fenders.  The  whole  operation  had  been  performed  in 
perfect  silence;  but  in  that  dramatic  instant  of  soundless 
contact  with  the  wharfside  fenders,  a  full-throated  shout 
rent  the  rain-swept  air  from  the  deck  of  the  first  de- 
stroyer: 'Three  cheers  for  the  "Hummingbird"  and  the 
"Whipsnake"!' 

"For  a  full  minute  the  thunder  of  cheering  rolled  out 
into  the  night;  a  very  moving  sound,  compact  of  vivid 
and  varied  emotions,  and  contributed  to  by  men  who  a 
day  or  two  earlier  had  been  fighting  under  the  scream  of 
our  own  and  enemy  shells,  and  forcing  their  way  through 
knee-deep  mud  and  tangles  of  German  barbed  wire  in  the 
inferno  between  Vimy  Ridge  and  Arras.  There  they  had 
been  wounded,  and  passed  out  for  rest  and  treatment  in 
Blighty.  But  since  then,  all  unarmed  and  helpless,  they 
had  been  suddenly  called  on  to  face  the  Boche  again,  and 
in  his  vilest  and  most  murderous  guise.     Yes,  the  sum  of 

Daily  Telegraph,  April  24,  191 7. 


24    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

the  cheering  was  moving,  its  component  parts  singularly 
varied.  For  a  full  minute  the  cheering  rose  and  fell 
athwart  the  driving  rain,  and  then  the  'Hummingbird' 
made  answer  with  one  long  fierce  blast  from  her  siren; 
full  of  defiance,  and  somehow,  as  it  seemed  to  our  ears, 
of  good  British  cheer. 

"Then  they  began  to  come  ashore;  a  long,  stiffly- 
moving  file  of  shaky,  utterly  weary  souls,  wrapped  about 
as  to  their  heads  or  arms,  necks  or  shoulders,  with  rain 
and  brine-soaked  surgical  bandages.  Few  had  had  any 
sleep  for  several  nights;  all  were  new- plucked  from  the 
midmost  jaws  of  death  among  the  shell-holes;  and — all 
had  faced  the  Boche  again,  at  his  ugliest,  since  leaving 
France.  The  fatigue  in  their  eyes,  which  no  man  may 
hide  in  such  a  case,  was  pathetic,  but  there  was  a  look  in 
the  same  eyes  that  overrode  anything  like  pathos;  the 
look  indomitable.  Some  of  the  greyness  began  to  fade 
from  out  their  faces  now,  as,  warmed  and  cheered  and  com- 
forted, they  climbed  into  the  waiting  train,  rilling  coach 
after  coach,  an  endless  succession.  As  they  sank  into 
their  seats,  one  heard  short,  hard  sighs  of  relief  pass  their 
tight-closed  lips.  But  for  talk,  there  was  mighty  little 
of  that,  and  might  have  been  none,  if  one  had  put  no 
questions. 

'"Yes,  we  were  within  sight  of  Blighty  when  the  tor- 
pedo got  us ' — it  was  a  long,  lean  North-countryman  who 
spoke — 'but  it  just  caught  our  stern,  and  blew  it  clean 
away — a  few  men  with  it  too.  Another  4  sees,  and  that 
would  have  been  a  wasted  torpedo.'  An  exceptionally 
small,  earnest-faced  man  in  the  corner  looked  up.  'Yes,' 
he  said,  quickly  and  quietly ;  '  and  I  suppose  a  few  Bodies 
might  have  been  saved  for  a  bit  from  earning — hell !' 

'"Eh?  Well,  I  don't  know  about  that,'  resumed  the 
North-countryman,  in  an  open-minded,  matter-of-fact 
way,  as  if  he  regarded  this  as  a  question  for  the  decision 
of  some  superior  officer,  possibly  his  commanding  officer. 
'But  it  was  wonderful  to  see  the  two  destroyers.  They 
are  men,  those  sailors.     They  had  their  boats  in  the  water 


THE    FIRST    YEAR  25 

almost  before  you  could  turn  around.  One  of  them  came 
close  in  alongside  of  us,  and  the  other  went  circling  round 
and  round  us,  like  a  sheep-dog,  but  angry.  Man,  but  that 
destroyer  did  look  angry.  We  floated  just  over  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  and  we  were  very  nearly  all  clear  of  her,  when 
she  give  one  h'ist,  and  went  down  like  a  plummet.  That 
last  few  minutes  wasn't  nice,  you  know — like  waiting  to 
go  over  the  parapet.  Some  of  us  jumped  to  the  deck  of 
the  destroyer,  and  some  got  knocked  about  a  bit ;  wounded 
men,  ye  see;  not  so  handy  as  they  might  be  other  times. 
The  destroyer  came  right  in  under  us  at  last,  to  get  the 
last  of  us,  and  only  drew  away  as  the  suction  began. 
There  wasn't  any  muddle  of  panic,  you  know;  no  more'n 
on  a  job  o'  work  at  the  front.  I  don't  suppose  we  minded 
as  much  as  civvies  would.  The  Army  does  teach  you  how 
to  keep  your  head;  and,  anyhow,  we'd  been  getting  it  in 
the  neck  this  long  time  from  shells,  and  Emma  Gees,  an' 
bombs,  an'  that.  This  was  only  a  sort  of  a  last  act.  If 
it  came  out  there,  you'd  think  nothing  of  it;  but  on  the 
way  here  I  suppose  a  man  begins  to  lay  off  a  bit,  as  ye 
mighty  say,  an'  get  a  bit  slacker.' 

"A  handful  of  lint  is  given  to  one  man  with  a  ban- 
danged  arm  and  a  nasty  cut  on  his  forehead,  which  was 
still  bleeding.  '  I  only  just  found  out  I  had  that,'  he  said. 
'  I  did  feel  a  bit  of  a  bump  there  when  I  was  getting  down 
the  side,  but  forgot  it  after.  Of  course,  we  could  see  she 
was  done  for,  and  everybody  kept  quiet.  It  was  lucky  the 
rain  was  so  heavy,  they  say,  because  it  beat  the  sea  down 
a  bit,  and  made  it  smoother.  It  was  perishing  cold;  but 
I'm  feeling  fine  now.  I  got  twenty-eight  Bodies  to  me 
own  rifle,  out  there  by  Blangy,  and  I  wish  it  had  been  a 
hundred.  We  picked  'em  off  as  they  ran,  like  rabbits. 
Between  us  here,  I  reckon  we  must  have  got  a  regiment 
of  'em,  so  no  wonder  they  wanted  to  get  us  to-night.  It 
seems  a  dirty  way  to  do  it,  with  a  hospital  ship.  But 
there — you  know  what  the  Boches  are.  A  chap  on  the 
destroyer — they're  men,  those  destroyer  chaps,  all  right 
— he  told  me  a  thing  or  two  about  what  happened  to 


26    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

these  U-boats,  and  it  sounded  pretty  good,  I  can  tell  you. 
I  suppose  the  Boches  can't  help  being  Boches — the  silly 
blighters !' 

"One  went  the  length  of  the  long  train.  The  silent  calm 
of  it  all  seemed  almost  unnatural;  fatigue  of  body  and 
mind.  The  whole  thing  was  accepted  as  part  of  the  day's 
work;  and,  after  all,  'We're  in  Blighty,  you  know,  an' 
don't  you  forget  it,'  said  one  man.  '  It's  rather  like  some- 
thing you've  seen  in  "the  pictures," '  said  another.  As  the 
train  pulled  slowly,  smoothly  out  from  the  stage,  the 
rescued  men  offered  up  their  thanks  again,  the  only  way 
they  knew,  with  a  long,  quivering  cheer.  '  Are  you  down- 
hearted?' called  an  orderly.  With  a  long,  rumbling  roar 
of  a  'No,'  they  disappeared  into  the  night,  and — England. 

"'Nice  chap,  Fritz,'  said  a  destroyer  officer,  as  he 
turned  away." 

The  epilogue  is  given  by  a  worker  in  a  Y.M.C.A. 

hut  :— 

"We  have  had  a  most  stirring  and  exciting  day.  We 
got  down  to  the  Hut  this  morning  to  find  that  part  of  the 
crew  and  some  of  the  wounded  soldiers  rescued  from  a 
torpedoed  hospital  ship  had  been  brought  in  to  the  dock. 
They  were  sent  in  to  us  to  wait  for  the  ambulances.  The 
ship,  H.M.  Hospital  Ship  'Lanfranc,'  was  struck  at  8 
o'clock  last  evening.  Some  French  fishing  smacks  dashed 
to  the  rescue  and  brought  them  in  about  8  o'clock  this 
morning.  Many  of  the  men  were  only  half  dressed,  and 
all  were  cold  and  hungry.  We  made  a  great  horseshoe 
of  our  tables  round  the  stove,  and  got  them  all  a  hot 
breakfast. 

"Three  of  them  were  so  badly  wounded  that  they  had 
to  be  laid  on  tables.  It  was  awful  to  see  men  with  their 
bandages  torn  off  their  wounded  limbs,  and  the  stories 
they  told  bring  home  to  one  most  forcibly  what  a  ship- 
wreck of  wounded  soldiers  must  be  like.     Some  of  the 


THE    FIRST    YEAR  27 

crew  seemed  all  right,  but  after  a  while  I  suppose  the 
shock  began  to  tell,  and  they  looked  too  dreadful  for  words. 
They  were  all  so  nice  and  so  brave,  for  some  were  clearly 
in  a  great  deal  of  pain. 

"One  of  those  rescued  was  the  officer's  mess-room  page, 
a  mere  child  of  about  15.  We  were  told  that  there  were 
242  British  soldiers,  only  two  of  which  were  walking 
cases,  and  130  Germans;  35  of  these  were  officers.  Two 
R.A.M.C.  men  were  lost,  and,  it  is  feared,  some  of  the 
crew. 

"Some  of  the  less. badly  wounded  Germans  stampeded 
and  jumped  into  a  boat,  partly  filled  with  their  own 
wounded.  This  they  swamped,  and  the  only  person 
saved  in  it  was  an  English  boy,  brought  in  to  us  with  a 
crushed  hand  and  leg.  He  was  caught  by  a  chain  down 
the  ship's  side,  but  it  held  him  until  he  could  be  removed. 

"After  the  dockers  had  left,  and  we  had  got  all  straight 
and  tidy,  some  of  the  wounded  went  to  the  piano  and 
began  to  sing — they  are  wonderful !  It  made  us  feel  queer 
to  hear  them  sing  'Pack  up  your  troubles  in  your  old 
kit-bag,'  &c. 

"After  a  little  while  Miss  Waldegrave  went  to  them  and 
said  that  she  felt  they  ought  to  give  thanks  for  being  safe 
— would  they  join  in  a  hymn?  Every  man  came  to  the 
piano,  except  one  who  was  too  bad  to  move  (the  worse 
cases  had  been  taken  away).  They  sang  most  wonder- 
fully, '0  God,  our  help  in  ages  past.'  Then  Miss  Walde- 
grave said  a  short  prayer,  and  before  she  could  move  away 
one  of  the  men  said,  ' Might  they  have  "for  those  in  peril 
on  the  sea"  for  their  mates,  as  they  did  not  know  where 
they  might  be?' 

"I  have  never  heard  anything  like  it.  Many  broke 
down.  In  the  middle  the  cars  came  to  take  them  away. 
They  finished  the  hymn  and  then  said  good-bye.  They 
gripped  our  hands  until  it  was  painful.  Many  of  them 
ran  back  two  or  three  times  and  said,  '  Thank  you,  thank 
you;  we  shall  never  forget  this  morning.'  We  shall 
certainly  never  forget  them,  the  stories  they  told.     One 


28    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

of  those  rescued  had  neither  arms  nor  legs ;  another,  who 
had  lost  both  hands  and  both  feet,  managed  to  get  on 
deck  unaided!" 

THE   VERDICT  OF   THE  RED   CROSS. 

The  verdict  passed  on  these  German  outrages  by 
the  civilised  world  is  expressed  in  a  Note  which  the 
International  Red  Cross  Committee  at  Geneva — a 
body  of  the  highest  standing  and  most  scrupulous 
impartiality — addressed  to  the  German  Govern- 
ment on  the  subject  of  its  memorial  of  January  29th, 
191 7,  and  the  acts  by  which  it  was  followed  up: — ■ 

'The  International  Committee,  whose  right  and  duty 
it  is  to  enforce  respect  for  the  principles  of  the  Red  Cross 
and  the  Geneva  Convention  by  reporting  violations  of 
them,  draws  the  very  serious  attention  of  the  German 
Government  to  the  responsibility  which  it  would  assume 
towards  the  civilised  world  by  persisting  in  a  resolution 
which  is  in  contradiction  to  the  humanitarian  conventions 
which  it  has  pledged  itself  solemnly  to  respect. 

"In  torpedoing  hospital  ships  it  is  not  attacking  <  om- 
batants,  but  defenceless  beings,  wounded  or  mutilated  in 
war,  and  women  who  are  devoting  themselves  to  the  work 
of  relief  and  charity.  Every  hospital  ship  is  provided 
with  the  external  signs  prescribed  by  international  con- 
ventions, the  use  of  which  has  been  regularly  notified  to 
belligerents,  and  should  be  respected  by  belligerents.  The 
latter  may,  according  to  The  Hague  Convention,  exercise 
the  right  of  search,  but  have  in  no  case  any  right  to  sink 
a  ship  and  expose  to  death  the  hospital  staff  and  the 
wounded. 

'The  'Asturias'  appears  to  have  been  torpedoed  with- 
out any  care  having  been  taken  to  ascertain  her  character 
or  her  destination. 


THE    FIRST    YEAR  29 

"Even  if  the  correctness  of  the  facts  were  admitted 
upon  which  Germany  bases  justification  of  her  order,  the 
International  Committee  considers  that  nothing  can  ex- 
cuse the  torpedoing  of  a  hospital  ship,  and  expresses  the 
hope  that  such  an  order,  contrary  to  international  conven- 
tions, will  cease  to  be  carried  out." 

This  Note,  from  the  greatest  humanitarian  society 
to  the  most  ruthless  military  Power  in  the  world,  is 
a  protest  without  precedent  against  an  unprecedented 
crime. 


II.—  THE    SECOND   YEAR 

The  ''Dover  Castle." 

THE  hospital  ship  'Dover  Castle,"  homeward 
bound  with  wounded  soldiers  from  Salonika, 
was  torpedoed  in  the  Mediterranean  on  May  26th, 
191 7.  One  torpedo  crippled  her  and  a  second  tor- 
pedo sank  her.  The  first  shot  came  without  the 
slightest  warning.  It  was  a  beautiful  evening  and 
the  sea  was  calm.  Had  it  been  otherwise  many  a 
home  might  have  had  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  gallant 
son.  The  vessel  was  struck  on  the  starboard  side, 
and  reeled  heavily. 

A  great  hole  was  torn  in  her  side,  through  which 
the  water  poured.  One  of  the  lifeboats  was  smashed, 
men  were  thrown  about  in  all  directions,  and  the 
engines  were  stopped. 

The  vessel  gradually  became  lower  in  the  water, 
but  fortunately  she  was  able  to  remain  afloat. 

Providentially  there  were  very  few  cot-cases  on 
board,  most  of  the  men  being  able  to  walk. 

"Talk  about  winning  the  V.C.,"  said  one  sailor,  "it  was 
won  time  after  time  by  men  who  seemed  absolutely  care- 


THE    SECOND    YEAR  31 

less,  about  themselves.  You  must  remember  that  when 
a  vessel  has  a  large  hole  in  her  side,  she  is  liable  to  go 
down  at  any  minute. 

'The  wounded  soldiers  again  proved  themselves  to  be 
brave  men.  The  ship's  officers  and  medical  staff  were 
almost  reckless  in  their  devotion  to  duty.  It  was  a  big 
task  to  transfer  600  wounded  from  the  ship,  but  thank 
God!   we  did  it." 

When  the  roll  was  called  on  shore  it  was  found  that 
six  of  the  stokehold  crew  were  missing. 

The  German  Government  has  repeatedly  charged 
us  with  using  hospital  ships  for  the  transport  of 
wounded  and  munitions  of  war. 

In  August,  191 7,  the  Admiralty  issued  a  statement 
which  showed  that  in  some  few  cases  it  had  been 
necessary  to  transport  wounded  in  ships  containing 
munitions,  but  that  in  such  cases  the  vessels  had  not 
been  marked  or  designated  as  hospital  ships,  and  that 
no  claim  for  immunity  from  attack  had  been  made  in 
respect  of  such  vessels  when  so  employed. 

A  list  of  ships  for  which  immunity  is  claimed  is 
sent  to  the  German  Government  through  a  neutral 
Power,  and  when  such  ships  are  diverted  to  other 
purposes  their  names  are  removed  from  the  list. 
Thus  both  the  spirit  and  the  letter  of  the  humane 
conventions  have  been  observed,  and  no  possible 
ground  or  excuse  for  the  destruction  of  declared 
hospital  ships  exists.     Every  other  German  charge 


32    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

or  statement  as  a  cloak  for  the  torpedoings  has  also 
been  carefully  examined  and  clearly  refuted. 


The  "Rewa." 

About  midnight  on  January  4,  191 8,  the  "Rewa." 
a  vessel  of  over  7,000  tons,  brilliantly  lighted  with 
all  the  distinctive  Red  Cross  markings,  was  attacked 
without  warning  in  the  Bristol  Channel,  outside  the 
area  within  which  it  was  Germany's  declared  inten- 
tion to  attack  such  ships. 

In  accordance  with  an  arrangement  made  between 
the  belligerents  by  the  King  of  Spain,  Spanish  officer.: 
travelled  on  the  "Rewa"  from  Salonika,  but  left  the 
ship  at  Gibraltar.  This  was  the  last  place  of  call, 
and  it  was  impossible  for  the  "Rewa"  to  change 
the  character  of  her  cargo  between  that  point 
and  home. 

There  were  on  board  wounded  men  from  Salonika 
and  their  nurses  and  medical  staff,  making,  with 
the  crew,  a  total  of  550  souls. 

The  torpedo  struck  the  cross  painted  on  the  ship's 
side  and  holed  her  right  through. 

In  an  orderly  manner  the  cot  cases  were  first  put 
on  the  boats  with  the  attendant  nurses — then  fol- 
lowed the  remainder  of  the  wounded,  and  last  the 
crew  and  officers.     The  full  boats  stood  off  from  the 


THE    SECOND    YEAR  33 

steamer,  and  ten  minutes  later  she  plunged  head 
foremost  into  the  sea  and  disappeared.  Two  anxious 
hours  upon  the  moonlit  waters  followed  and  then,  to 
the  great  cheer  of  the  watchers,  a  tank  steamer  and 
two  mine-sweepers,  called  by  the  wireless  operator 
of  the  sinking  "Rewa,"  tore  through  the  waves  to 
the  rescue.  In  an  hour  the  whole  500  were  tran- 
shipped and  steaming  to  the  nearest  port,  leaving 
three  members  of  the  crew  in  the  depths  with  the 
"Rewa." 

It  is  not  due  to  the  Germans  that  all  on  board 
were  not  destroyed. 


The  "Glenart  Castle." 

The  Bristol  Channel — out  of  the  barred  zone — was 
again  the  scene  of  outrage  when,  on  Febrary  26th, 
the  "Glenart  Castle,"  a  6,800-ton  hospital  ship,  out- 
ward bound  with  all  her  lights  showing,  was  blown 
up  in  a  rough  sea  on  a  pitch-dark  night. 

An  American  torpedo-boat  destroyer  and  a  French 
schooner  were  the  first  to  bring  survivors  to  shore. 
From  the  rescued  ones  it  was  ascertained  that  the 
engine  room  of  the  "Glenart  Castle"  was  struck 
about  4  a.m.  The  lights  went  out  and  the  ship 
foundered  in  seven  minutes. 

There  were  about  200  persons  on  board,  consisting 


34    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

of  the  crew  and  the  hospital  staff,  but  no  patients. 
A  Newport  man  said: — 

"All  went  well  until  about  4  a.m.  on  Tuesday,  when 
the  vessel  was  about  50  miles  west  of  Lundy.  I  was  then 
snug  in  my  bunk.  It  was  pitch  dark ;  there  was  a  formid- 
able sea  running.  All  at  once  the  vessel  was  struck  a 
terrific  blow.  The  torpedo  had  evidently  landed  on  its 
mark  all  right,  for  in  a  few  seconds  there  was  a  second 
tremendous  explosion,  which  seemed  to  blow  out  the  side 
of  the  vessel. 

"When  I  got  on  deck  with  only  my  pyjamas  on,  I  could 
see  that  most  of  the  boats  on  the  starboard  side  had  been 
smashed  and  the  deck  ripped  open  by  the  explosion.  Most 
of  the  stern  was  awash,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  ship 
was  sinking  rapidly.  Though  the  explosion  had  put  out 
the  lights,  there  was  no  disorder.  Captain  Burt  was  cool 
and  resourceful,  giving  his  orders  from  the  bridge  with 
clearness  and  composure  until  he  went  down  with  the 
ship." 

Seven  out  of  the  nine  boats  on  the  ship  were  suc- 
cessfully launched,  and  after  tossing  about  on  a 
choppy  sea  for  nearly  seven  hours  and  bailing  hard 
all  the  time,  the  survivors  were  brought  to  land  by 
the  "Feon"  (the  French  schooner)  and  the  Ameri- 
can torpedo-boat  destroyer. 

Those  who  were  saved  will  never  forget  the  heart- 
rending screams  which  came  to  them  on  all  sides 
from  men  and  women  struggling  in  the  water.  The 
cries  continued  for  some  time. 


THE    SECOND    YEAR  35 

One  hundred  and  fifty-three  lives  were  lost  by 
this  most  dastardly  of  all  crimes  against  non- 
combatants. 

The  "Guildford  Castle." 

The  latest  outrage  was  an  attack — happily  in  this 
case  unsuccessful — on  the  "Guildford  Castle."  Once 
again  it  was  in  the  Bristol  Channel,  in  an  area  sup- 
posed to  be  free  from,  the  German  danger  to  hospital 
ships. 

It  took  place  on  a  calm  Sabbath  afternoon.  The 
great  hospital  ship  was  carrying  a  full  complement 
of  wounded  from  the  East  African  battlefield  to 
Avonmouth  Dock. 

The  vessel  left  Cape  Town  on  February  15th,  with 
450  wounded  men.  She  was  freshly  painted  and 
marked  as  a  hospital  ship.  With  her  Red  Cross  flag 
flying  and  lights  on,  she  reached  the  entrance  to 
Bristol  Channel.  At  5.35  p.m.  on  March  10th,  the 
fourth  officer  called  the  attention  of  the  captain  to  a 
torpedo  which  went  across  the  stern  of  the  vessel 
some  30  or  50  yards  away,  at  right  angles  to  the 
ship.  A  minute  or  so  afterwards  the  ship  received 
a  severe  blow. 

The  captain  put  his  helm  to  starboard  to  give  less 
surface  in  case  another  attack  came.  Under  splen- 
did discipline  the  patients  and  staff  were  made  ready 


36    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

for  the  boats,  but  the  ship  floated  and  finally  reached 
dock. 


HOSPITAL  SHIPS  SUNK  BY  GERMAN 
SUBMARINES. 


Name. 

Date. 

Lives  Lost. 

"Portugal" 

March  17th,   19 16. 

85 

"  Vperiod" 

July  8th,   1916. 

7 

"  Britannic" 

Nov.  21st,   1916. 

50 

"Braemar  Castle" 

Nov.  22nd,   1916. 

1 

"Asturias" 

March  20th,   19 17. 

43 

"  Gloucester  Castle  " 

March  30th,   191 7. 

3 

"Donegal" 

April  17th,   191 7. 

4i 

"Lanfranc" 

April  17th,   191 7. 

34 

"Dover  Castle" 

May  26th,   1917. 

6 

"Rewa" 

Jan.  4th,   1918. 

3 

"Glenart  Castle" 

Feb.  26th,   1918. 

i53 

III.— DIPLOMATIC  CORRESPONDENCE 

Memorandum  of  the  German  Government  Re- 
specting the  Misuse  of  Enemy  Hospital  Ships  * 

FOR  some  time  the  enemy  Governments,  especial- 
ly the  British  Government,  have  used  their 
hospital  ships  not  only  for  the  purpose  of  rendering 
assistance  to  the  wounded,  sick,  and  shipwrecked, 
but  also  for  military  purposes,  and  have  thereby 
violated  the  Hague  Convention  regarding  the  ap- 
plication of  the  Geneva  Convention  to  maritime 
warfare. 

The  fact  that  the  British  Government  during  the 
campaign  on  the  Gallipoli  Peninsula  designated  to 
the  Governments  of  the  Central  Powers  a  dispro- 
portionately large  number  of  ships  as  hospital  ships, 
which  could  not  possibly  serve  exclusively  for  the 
transport  and  care  of  the  sick  and  wounded,  already 
tended  to  arouse  suspicion.  In  191 5  alone  not  less 
than  fifty-nine  ships  were  notified  by  them  as  hos- 
pital ships  after  forty  ships  had  already  been  noti- 
fied  as  hospital   ships   since   the  beginning  of  the 

*  Correspondence  with  the  German  Government  regarding  the 
Alleged  Misuse  of  British  Hospital  Ships,  Miscellaneous,  No.  16 
(IQI7)  fCd.  8692],  3d. 


38    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

War.  After  the  victorious  completion  of  the  Galli- 
poli  campaign,  the  Turkish  Government  informed 
neutral  Powers  in  a  note  of  protest  that  the  English 
commanders  had  used  the  hospital  ships  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  Mediterranean  for  the  purpose 
of  bringing  back  troops  and  military  supplies. 

Furthermore,  the  British  Governrrent  did  not,  as 
is  the  general  custom,  equip  certain  ships  once  and 
for  all  as  hospital  ships  for  use  for  the  duration  of 
the  war,  but  often  placed  one  and  the  same  ship  en 
the  list  of  hospital  ships,  and  then  again  cancelled 
it  from  the  list,  so  that  the  German  Government  was 
hardly  able  to  convey  to  its  naval  forces  in  due  time 
information  to  the  required  effect.  The  steamship 
"Copenhagen,"  for  instance,  which  was  used  by  the 
British  Government  as  a  transport,  was  notified  as 
a  hospital  ship  in  a  note  from  the  American  Embassy 
at  Berlin,  dated  the  14th  October,  19 14;  subse- 
quently, on  the  6th  February,  191 5,  she  was  notified 
as  having  been  struck  off  the  list,  on  the  1st  January, 
1 96 1,  again  added  to  the  list,  and  on  the  4th  March, 
1 91 6,  again  struck  off  the  list.  This  procedure  con- 
veyed the  impression  that  uncertainty  and  con- 
fusion were  to  be  aroused  regarding  the  character  of 
the  ships  used  for.  this  purpose,  which  permitted  the 
display  of  the  peaceful  or  belligerent  character  of 
the  ship  according  to  requirements. 

Furthermore,  in  191 5,  the  German  Government 
received  numerous  trustworthy  reports  that  the  Eng- 
lish hospital  ships   in    the    Channel,   which    chiefly 


DIPLOMATIC    CORRESPONDENCE    39 

served  the  purpose  of  fetching  the  wounded  of  the 
British  Army  fighting  on  French  and  Belgian  soil 
from  French  harbours  and  transporting  them  to 
English  harbours,  were  conspicuously  heavily  laden 
on  the  journey  from  England  to  France,  while  on 
the  return  journey  they  had  normal  draught.  This 
fact  led  various  observers,  especially  ship  captains, 
to  conclude  that  the  ships  were  being  employed  on 
the  outward  journey  to  France  to  transport  muni- 
tions, and  the  the  Red  Cross  emblem  was  being 
abused. 

This  presumption  was  then  confirmed  by  a  quan- 
tity of  unexceptionable  testimony.  English  soldiers 
frankly  admitted  the  use  of  hospital  ships  for  such 
purposes.  A  French  sergeant  told  a  German  prisoner 
that  he  had  closely  observed  the  loading  of  munitions 
from  many  automobiles  into  the  hospital  ship  "La 
France"  in  the  harbour  of  Marseilles.  According 
to  the  affidavit  of  a  trustworthy  neutral,  English 
sailors  have  stated  that  the  transport  of  munitions 
to  France  was  often  effected  by  means  of  hospital 
ships  on  the  part  of  the  English.  Finally,  there  are 
statements  on  oaths  from  eye-witnesses  who  were 
present  when  munitions  were  being  loaded  on  board 
hospital  ships. 

The  worst  breach  of  the  above-mentioned  Hague 
Convention,  however,  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that 
the  British  and  French  Governments  have  in  numer- 
ous cases  effected  the  transport  of  their  troops  by 
means  of  hospital  ships.     Apart  from  the  fact  that 


4o    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

superior  officers  appear  to  prefer  travelling  on  hos- 
pital ships,  a  large  number  of  trustworthy  reports, 
including  especially  sworn  statements  relative  to  the 
transport  of  bodies  of  troops,  are  to  hand.  Evident- 
ly the  transport  of  troops  by  means  of  hospital  ships 
is  a  regular  practice  in  the  Channel.  Besides  this, 
it  has  on  different  occasions  been  ascertained  that 
these  ships  are  armed. 

The  reports  of  trustworthy  informants  and  wit- 
nesses, who  are  mentioned  in  the  annexes,*  constitute 
only  a  small  part  of  the  material  in  the  possession 
of  the  German  Government.  The  names  of  several 
of  these  persons  could  not  be  mentioned  because  they 
are  either  directly  or  indirectly  within  the  reach  of 
the  enemy's  power,  and  would  therefore  be  exposed 
to  severe  reprisals  if  their  names  were  given.  In 
any  case,  no  doubt  exists  in  the  mind  of  the  German 
Government  that  the  enemy  Governments  have  con- 
tinually, and  most  seriously,  violated  by  their  action 
the  Hague  Convention  regarding  the  application  of 
the  Geneva  Convention  to  maritime  warfare. 

In  view  of  the  breach  of  treaty  committed  by 
their  enemies  the  German  Government  would  be 
entitled  to  free  themselves  altogether  from  the  ob- 
ligations contained  in  the  Convention;  for  reasons 
of  humanity,  however,  they  desire  still  to  refrain 
from  doing  so.  On  the  other  hand,  they  can  no 
longer  permit  the  British  Government  to  despatch 
their  troop  and  munition  transports  to  the  principle 

*  For  which  see  the  White  Paper  Cd.  [8692]. 


DIPLOMATIC    CORRESPONDENCE    41 

theatre  of  war  under  the  hypocritical  cloak  of  the 
Red  Cross.  They  therefore  declare  that  from  this 
moment  on  they  will  no  longer  suffer  any  enemy 
hospital  ship  in  the  maritime  zone  which  is  situated 
between  the  lines  Flamborough  Head  to  Terschelling 
on  the  one  hand  and  Ushant  to  Land's  End  on  the 
other.  Should  enemy  hospital  ships  be  encountered 
in  this  maritime  zone,  after  an  appropriate  lapse  of 
time,  they  will  be  considered  as  belligerent  and  will 
be  attacked  without  further  consideration.  The 
German  Government  believe  themselves  all  the  more 
justified  in  adopting  these  measures  as  the  route 
from  Western  and  Southern  France  to  the  West  of 
England  still  remains  open  for  enemy  hospital  ships, 
and  the  transport  of  English  wounded  to  their  homes 
can  consequently  be  effected  now  as  heretofore  with- 
out hindrance. 

Berlin,  January  28,   191 7. 

Memorandum  of  the  German  Government  con- 
cerning the  Adoption  of  Further  Measures 
against  the  mlsuse  of  the  enemy's  hospital 
Ships. 

In  their  Memorandum  of  the  29th  January,*  191 7 
the  German  Government  established  that  the  enemy 
Governments,  in  particular  the  British  Government, 
were  employing  their  hospital  ships  not  only  for  the 
purpose  of  rendering  aid  to  wounded,  sick,  and  ship- 

*  The    copy    communicated    to    His    Majesty's    Government    is 
dated  the  28th  January  (see  above). 


42    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

wrecked  persons,  but  also  for  military  objects,  there- 
by committing  a  grave  breach  of  the  Hague  Conven- 
tion regarding  the  application  of  the  Geneva  Con- 
vention to  maritime  warfare.  On  that  ground  the 
German  Government  declared  a  stated  area  in  the 
southern  portion  of  the  North  Sea  and  in  the  English 
Channel  to  be  closed  for  enemy  hospital  ships,  the 
effect  of  this  to  be  that  within  this  area  hospital 
ships  would  be  regarded  as  belligerent,  and  would 
be  attacked  forthwith. 

In  so  far  as  the  enemy  Powers  have  furnished  any 
reply  to  the  German  Government's  Memorandum, 
they  have,  as  was  to  be  expected,  denied  the  misuse 
of  their  hospital  ships.  It  is  remarkable  in  this  con- 
nection that  the  British  did  not  proceed  on  logical 
lines  in  dealing  with  the  matter,  seeing  that  the 
British  Admiralty,  in  their  statement,  only  denied 
that  troops  had  been  transported,  whereas  the  Brit- 
ish Government  themselves  denied  also  the  carriage 
of  munitions.  In  face  of  the  numerous  pieces  of 
evidence  laid  before  the  German  Government,  such 
statements  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  cannot  carry 
any  weight  whatsoever. 

Memorandum  of  the  British  Government  in 
Reply  to  German  Allegations  of  the  Im- 
proper Use  of  British  Hospital  Ships. 

The  German  Memorandum  of  the  28th  January, 
191 7,    made   allegations   of   misuse   of   British   and 


DIPLOMATIC    CORRESPONDENCE    43 

Allied  hospital  ships,  and  in  twenty-three  annexes 
furnished  evidence,  chiefly  in  the  shape  of  reports  of 
officers  of  the  German  Government  and  statements 
of  witnesses,  which,  in  the  view  of  the  German 
Government,  proved  or  pointed  to  such  misuse.  A 
further  Memorandum,  dated  the  29th  March,  191 7, 
repeated  these  allegations  in  general  terms  and 
quoted  further  declarations  in  support  of  them. 

In  replying  to  the  accusations  brought  forward  by 
the  German  Government,  His  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment desire,  before  all,  to  call  attention  to  the  re- 
markable fact  that  German  submarines  and  other 
warships  have  never  once  exercised  the  right  of  in- 
specting British  hospital  ships,  which  is  given  to 
them  by  Article  4  of  the  Hague  Convention  for  the 
application  of  the  principles  of  the  Geneva  Conven- 
tion to  maritime  warfare.  So  far  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained they  have  only  once  stopped  a  British  hospi- 
tal ship  long  enough  to  examine  her  papers.  This 
occurred  on  the  23rd  February,  191 7,  when  the  hos- 
pital ship  "Dunluse  Castle"  was  stopped  by  a  Ger- 
man submarine  in  the  Eastern  Mediterranean;  her 
papers  were  found  to  be  in  order  and  the  vessel  was 
allowed  to  proceed.  It  might  have  been  expected 
that  the  German  Government,  seeing  that  they  had 
reports  in  their  possession,  which  they  profess  to 
regard  as  reliable,  pointing  to  the  misuse  of  British 
hospital  ships,  would  not  have  completely  neglected 
the  obvious  and  well-recognized  method  of  inspec- 
tion for  the  purpose   of  verifying   their   suspicions. 


44    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

Instead,  they  have  preferred  to  appeal  for  support 
to  their  charges  to  conjectural  statements  of  per- 
sons who  never  had  an  opportunity  of  ascertaining 
whether  there  was  any  real  foundation  for  their 
assumptions,  and,  on  this  flimsy  basis,  without  mak- 
ing any  attempt  to  discover  the  value  of  the  hearsay 
evidence  which  they  had  collected  or  giving  His 
Majesty's  Government  any  opportunity  of  rebutting 
their  allegations,  they  proceeded  to  the  extreme  step 
of  ruthlessly  attacking  innocent  hospital  ships  en- 
gaged in  their  humane  task  of  serving  the  sick  and 
wounded. 

His  Majesty's  Government  have  now  made  en- 
quiry into  the  allegations  contained  in  the  German 
Memoranda  so  far  as  they  concern  British  hospital 
ships,  and  so  far  as  the  charges  made  are  not  in 
such  vague  terms  as  to  preclude  any  possibility  of 
investigating  their  foundation.  Generally,  the 
charges  group  themselves  under  four  heads,  viz. : — 

i.  Alleged  excessive  number  of  hospital  ships  in 
relation  to  the  Gallipoli  campaign. 

2.  Changes  in  the  list  of  hospital  ships,  with  sup- 
posed intention  to  deceive. 

3.  Alleged  transport  of  munitions. 

4.  Alleged  transport  of  troops. 

As  to  (1),  the  number  of  hospital  ships  employed 
was  not  excessive  having  regard  to  the  number  of 
invalids  to  be  evacuated  from  Gallipoli.  On  the 
contrary,  the  accommodation  on  hospital  ships 
proved  to  be  inadequate  to  meet  requirements,  and 


DIPLOMATIC    CORRESPONDENCE    45 

it  was  necessary  to  employ  ordinary  transports  in 
addition  for  the  conveyance  of  sick  and  wounded. 
These  transports  were,  of  course,  not  protected  by 
the  Hague  Convention,  did  not  fly  the  Red  Cross 
flag,  and  were  not  fitted  out  as  hospital  ships. 

As  to  (2),  no  rule  exists  under  which  a  hospital 
ship,  once  notified,  must  remain  in  hospital  service 
for  the  duration  of  the  war.  It  is  perfectly  true 
that  certain  ships  were  notified  as  hospital  ships 
and  later  on  were  removed  from  the  list.  This  was 
due  to  alterations  in  the  requirements  for  various 
classes  of  tonnage,  caused  by  the  sinkings  of  ships 
by  submarines  and  10  changes  in  the  military  sit- 
uation. 

There  is  no  ground  for  the  somewhat  nebulous 
suggestion  of  the  German  Government  that  the  aim 
of  the  changes  was  to  produce  uncertainty  and  con- 
fusion in  regard  to  the  character  of  the  ships,  and 
no  evidence  is  adduced  to  show  what  military  ad- 
vantages could  be  gained  by  such  confusion,  which, 
in  fact,  would  probably  be  disadvantageous  rather 
than  otherwise,  since  it  would  be  injurious  to  the 
safety  of  the  hospital  ships  themselves. 

As  to  (3)  and  (4),  alleged  conveyance  of  munitions 
and  troops,  to  which  nearly  all  the  evidence  relates, 
a  detailed  examination  of  the  particular  instances 
alleged  is  given  below.  It  may,  however,  be  stated 
at  once  that  British  hospital  ships  have  never  been 
used  for  the  carraige  of  munitions  of  war  or  of  com- 
batant troops.     Red  Cross  stores  and  personnel  of 


4r>    THE    WAR    ON    HOSPITAL    SHIPS 

the  Royal  Army  Medical  Corps  (who  are  protected 
by  the  Geneva  Convention)  have  been  embarked, 
and  it  appears  probable  that  the  German  Govern- 
ment have  been  misled  by  the  fallacious  deductions 
of  their  witnesses,  who  apparently  were  unable  to 
verify  their  assumption  that  cases  of  Red  Cross 
stores  were  really  munitions  of  war  and  bodies  of  the 
Royal  Army  Medical  Corps  in  khaki  uniform  de- 
tachments of  combatant  troops. 

The  statement  in  the  second  German  Memoran- 
dum to  the  effect  that,  while  His  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment had  denied  that  British  hospital  ships  had  car- 
ried either  troops  or  munitions,  the  British  Admiralty 
had  merely  declared  that  no  troops  had  been  con- 
veyed in  such  ships,  without  denying  the  carriage  of 
munitions,  is  curiously  devoid  of  point.  Both  in  the 
statement  issued  by  His  Majesty's  Government  on 
the  ist  February,  191 7,  and  in  a  note  addressed  to 
the  United  States  Ambassador  in  London  on  the 
31st- January,  the  allegations  of  the  German  Govern- 
ment were  contradicted  in  respect  both  of  troops 
and  of  munitions.  The  discrepancy  which  the  Ger- 
man Government  pretend  to  have  discovered  be- 
tween the  declarations  of  His  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment as  a  whole,  and  those  of  the  Admiralty  in  par- 
ticular, appear  to  rest  on  a  statement  issued  by  the 
Admiralty  and  published  on  the  2nd  February,  in 
which  particular  notice  is  given  to  the  allegation  of 
Albert  Messany,  circulated  in  a  German  wireless 
Press  message,  to  the  effect  that  2,500  soldiers  who 


DIPLOMATIC    CORRESPONDENCE    47 

were  not  invalids  had  been  carried  by  the  hospital 
ship  "Britannic."  With  reference  to  this  allegation 
the  Admiralty  stated  that  no  British  hospital  ship 
had  ever  embarked  any  persons  but  invalids  and 
hospital  staff.  There  was  no  occasion  in  that  partic- 
ular connection  to  refer  to  munitions.  The  play 
which  the  German  Government  make  with  this 
imaginary  discrepancy  is  an  illustration  of  their 
practice  of  trying  to  make  capital  out  of  infinitesi- 
mal points,  a  practice  which  has  the  appearance  of 
being  adopted  in  order  to  cover  up  the  weakness  of 
their  main  position. 

[After  these  general  remarks  the  specific  statements 
contained  in  the  annexes  to  the  German  Memorandum 
of  the  28th  January  and  in  the  Memorandum  of  the  29th 
March  are  examined  in  detail.] 


THE    END 


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